Health Center

Services We Provide

The PLU Health Center is pleased to Offer a wide range of primary care services to keep you as happy and healthy as possible during your PLU education. This guide represents only a portion of the services we offer, and we invited you to contact us if you have additional questions or concerns.

The Health Center offers the following services:

Acute and Chronic Illnesses
Emergency Contraception
Immunizations
Laboratory Testing
Medications
Men's Health
Mental Health
Physical Examinations
Sexual Health
Women's Health
Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, and Questioning Students

ACUTE AND CHRONIC ILLNESSES

The Health Center provides a wide range of services for both acute and chronic illnesses. We’re happy to attend to a sprained ankle, a cold, a rash, or more chronic problems like asthma, high blood pressure, and allergies.

In the event that you require an x-ray, MRI, or referral to a specialist, we will work with you to find a facility or healthcare provider who accepts your primary insurance plan.

SEXUAL HEALTH

The Health Center provides counseling about sexual health issues in a sensitive, private, and confidential environment. We are available to talk to you about sexual problems or concerns, sexually-transmitted infections, among other issues.

There is no charge for HIV, Gonorrhea, Chlamydia, or Syphilis screening. Screening for type 2 herpes is available at no charge for domestic undergraduate students at risk for this infection.

WOMEN'S HEALTH

The Health Center offers comprehensive women’s health care. This includes counseling regarding birth control as well as birth control pills and injections. We stock a range of birth control pills in our pharmacy, and we can dispense them to you right here in the Health Center.

In addition to birth control, we offer confidential sexually-transmitted disease screening at no charge to most students, and pregnancy testing at no charge to most students.

Cervical cancer screening (pap smears) are recommended for anyone age 21 or older. There is a nominal laboratory fee for this service.

We are also here to help you with women’s health concerns such as irregular or painful menstrual bleeding, painful intercourse, breast masses or changes, nutrition issues, among many other concerns.

We also offer routine wellness examinations at no charge.

EMERGENCY CONTRACEPTION


NextChoice, an emergency contraception pill, is available at the PLU Health Center for $17. NextChoice can be used up to five days after an unprotected sexual encounter. It is not 100 percent effective, but can significantly reduce the risk of pregnancy.

If the Health Center is closed, you can purchase NextChoice without a prescription at most retail pharmacies.

Learn more about NextChoice here. 

MEN'S HEALTH

Our men's health services include routine wellness examinations, sexual health counseling, and screening for sexually-transmitted diseases and HIV. These services are available at no charge.

We are also here to help you with other men's health concerns. These include nutrition, exercise advice, concerns related to sexual health, erectile dysfunction, scrotal pain or masses, painful intercourse, and other reproductive health issues.

IMMUNIZATIONS


We offer an extensive range of immunizations for general health as well as for study abroad.

Prior to your 19th birthday, we are able to offer the following immunizations at no charge:

1. Hepatitis A (for eligible students)
2. Hepatitis B
3. Human Papilloma Virus (HPV)
4. Meningococcal (meningitis)
5. Pneumoccocal (pneumonia) (for eligible students)
6. Tetanus, Diptheria, and Pertussis (TdAP)

These vaccines are available to students age 19 and old, but there are fees incurred. See the Insurance and Fees webpage for more details.

We also offer seasonal flu vaccine when it is available. This vaccine is offered at no charge to all domestic undergraduate students. We urge all students to undergo flu vaccination annually.

In addition, we offer the following vaccines for international travel:

1. Japanese Encephalitis
2. Polio
3. Typhoid
4. Yellow Fever

For more information about fees for these vaccines, visit the Insurance and Fees webpage.

MENTAL HEALTH

The Health Center works in close collaboration with the PLU Counseling Center. The two centers work together to find the best places for you to seek care for any mental health concerns you may have. Sometimes this means just taking the time to talk about a specific issue; in other cases, you may require longer-term counseling, medication, or referral to off-campus resources.

In collaboration with the Counseling Center, we offer evaluation and treatment of anxiety, depression, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), and more.

In collaboration with the Health Educator and LuteFit, we offer counseling and referrals related to tobacco, alcohol, and drug abuse.

The Health and Counseling Centers also make referrals to off-campus mental health providers when the need arises.

MEDICATIONS


The Health Center has an on-site pharmacy stocked with commonly-prescribed medications, some over the counter medications, and an extensive range of immunizations. We offer these medications to you at greatly reduced costs. We even offer some over-the-counter medications at no cost.

We will provide you with a receipt for any medication we dispense to you. You are then welcome to submit the receipt to your insurance company for reimbursement if applicable.

If we do not have a medication in our pharmacy, we will happily write a prescription for you, or send an electronic prescription to the pharmacy of your choice. We are also able to send prescriptions to mail order pharmacies and GroupHealth pharmacies.

LABORATORY TESTING

We have the ability to conduct certain tests on site at the Health Center. These include rapid screening from strep throat, urinalysis, and electrocardiograms. These services are offered at no charge to domestic undergraduates, and for a small fee for other students. See the Insurance and Fees webpage for more information.

We also offer screening for HIV, Syphilis, Gonorrhea, Chlamydia and Type 2 Herpes at no charge.

For other laboratory tests, such as blood testing, skin biopsies, wound cultures, and other services, we are able to conduct a biopsy or obtain a blood test and send the specimen to an off-campus lab. There is a fee for this service, but we offer greatly reduced fees. We are happy to provide you with a receipt for any laboratory tests so that you can submit it to your insurance company for reimbursement if applicable.

PHYSICAL EXAMINATIONS

The Health Center provides physical examinations for any reason at no charge. This service is provided by appointment. This includes examinations for:

1. Athletics
2. Employment
3. Study Away
4. General wellness (check-ups)

GAY, LESBIAN, BISEXUAL, AND QUESTIONING STUDENTS

The Health Center maintains a safe, sensitive, and confidential environment to discuss any issues relating to sexual health and sexual orientation. All of our providers have received specialized education on the unique needs of gay, lesbian, bisexual, and questioning students.

Information about a student’s sexual history or sexual orientation is always kept strictly confidential.

SERVICES WE DO NOT OFFER

1. After hours care
2. Services for life-threatening emergencies
3. Telephone or email consultations
4. Care for work-related injuries and illnesses (except for first aid)
5. Care related to motor vehicle accidents